For the fourth time in club history, the Columbus Crew will compete for MLS’s biggest prize in the MLS Cup Final on Saturday afternoon. Better yet, the Crew will host the final for the third time in nine years.

The Black & Gold earned their way to play on Major League Soccer’s biggest stage through a dramatic and historic come-from-behind victory in the Eastern Conference Final against FC Cincinnati. In the Hell is Real Derby, Columbus trailed 2-0 before flipping the game on its head and winning 3-2 in extra time. The win was the first time in league history that a road team came back from 2-0 in a playoff match.

With that win, the Crew now faces the defending MLS Cup champions and Western Conference winners LAFC. Here is your guide to the visiting side and how the Black & Gold can earn the team’s third MLS Cup.

LAFC at a Glance:

Record: 14-10-10, 52 points

League Form: W-W-W-W-D

Leading Scorer: Denis Bouanga (20)

Assist Leader: Carlos Vela (8)

Player to Watch: Denis Bouanga

The 2023 MLS Golden Boot winner is absolutely the man to watch for the Black & Gold on Saturday. The 29-year-old Gabon international has exploded since joining LAFC in the summer of 2022. Bouanga has 40 goals in 57 matches in all competitions, or 0.7 goals a game.

Bouanga arrived after an extensive career in France’s first and second divisions, which gave him the experience necessary to excel in MLS. Bouanga is a demon in attacking transition, with enough speed and 1 v. 1 ability to torment even the best defenders.

The forward is also an excellent finisher, who is capable of finishing in a variety of ways. He is deceptively tough to track with his movement in the penalty box. Bouanga will be the focal point of the LAFC attack on Saturday, and the Crew will need to do a good job of defending him in and out of transition in order to lift another MLS Cup trophy. 

How LAFC plays: 

Head coach Steve Cherundolo and LAFC have done a 180-degree turn this year in MLS. LAFC had previously been a team similar to Columbus, that looked to dominate possession of the ball and create scoring chances.

This year, however, LAFC has struggled with both maintaining possession and creating chances through possession. Thus, Cherundolo has shifted the team’s MO to being a counter-attacking team that threatens on set pieces. This has been especially prevalent this postseason, as LAFC has recorded 30 percent and 31 percent possession in the team’s last two matches, respectively.

Despite the change in tactical focus, LAFC still employs the same 4-3-3 shape in and out of possession. On Saturday, expect the visitors to press high early before settling into a lower block that attempts to draw Columbus out and creates space for Bouanga and company in which to counter attack.  

How the Crew can win:

It’s all on the line for the Crew on Saturday. This game promises to be one of the best MLS Cups in recent memory. The Black & Gold are a tough stylistic matchup for LAFC, and LAFC is a tough stylistic matchup for Columbus.

If the Crew learned anything from the Eastern Conference Final, it’s that styles make fights, and the Black & Gold will be true to their style no matter what. There are a few areas for Columbus to focus on to nullify LAFC. If the team handles these, it could very well be a boring Crew victory on Saturday, which is still a victory.

Here are three keys for MLS Cup 2023:

Create and convert in possession. Luckily the Black & Gold are the best team in the league in maintaining possession, creating chances and converting them. With last week as an example, Columbus could do a lot of creating and converting in a short amount of time. The Crew will have to be just as good on Saturday.

The Black & Gold are going to have the vast majority of possession in this match. That possession is only worth something if Columbus can create and convert chances as the team did throughout the season. Look especially for the Crew to create numerical overloads in wide areas, as LAFC’s wingers don’t often drop back to defend. 

Rest defense and defending in transition. Another Black & Gold game, another concern about the opponent in transition. This will be nothing new to Columbus fans and players alike. However, this is LAFC’s main form of attack, and the team likely will be the best counter-attacking team that the Crew have faced this year.

The Black & Gold will need to counter-press effectively and be well-positioned in their rest defense. The three center backs will also need to be ready to defend effectively in 1 v. 1 situations at times. If Columbus can control transition, the game will be easier for the Black & Gold. 

Set pieces. LAFC has scored five goals from set pieces this postseason, including the go-ahead goal in the Western Conference Final. The Crew is, at times, an unconvincing unit when defending set pieces. This, coupled with LAFC having limited possession, means that any and all set pieces for the visitors could be some of their best chances to score. If the Black & Gold can effectively defend set pieces, they will limit LAFC’s threat to attack in transition, which would be a huge advantage for Columbus.